By Kavitha Reddy
“Need a Life….” was all my heart said, so I called my friends and we decided to go on a trek. We gathered at Delhi, travelled by interstate bus to Rishikesh, a six-and-a-half hour overnight journey that was as (un)comfortable as possible in a badly managed bus service.
At 5.30 a.m. we were at the Rishikesh bus stop, we then took an auto rickshaw to check-in at a hotel, refresh and leave for Uttarkashi late evening. The auto driver suggested we go to Uttarkashi right away, plans changed and we loaded our rucksack.
Rishikesh lies at an altitude of 356 mts and is the base for most trekking activities in the beautiful Garhwal-Himalayan range. The city is surrounded by hills on three sides and the Gangaflows through. Rishikesh also offers the best rafting route with some excellent rapids.
A mere 5-6 hour stomach-churning drive through the mountains later we were at Uttarkashi. However physically uncomfortable the drive was what kept me occupied was the beauty of the mountains. My camera was a little excited looking at the river, clouds and the mountains, literally in that order, and by 12-noon we were at Uttarkashi.
Our first stop was the prestigious Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM). What can I say, an institute that has trained several mountaineers in the country, it was even more emotional as I did my training at NIM. The training team includes Everesters, army deputes from the Siachen warfare school and technically superior mountaineers, it will not be wrong to say that its one of its kind globally.
One will simply fall in love with the well-maintained campus, with greenery all over, surrounded by mountains on all the four sides, the sound of the BhagirathiRiver, several species of birds, especially the Paradise Flycatchers.
The next morning we arrived at Bhukki by bus (43 kms), a dusty terrain that had several landslides, construction of roads, NTPC plan to build a power station, so there was action all over. It was a long trek on a hill of over 60-degree elevation with a 70-degree walk, which would mean a steep walk that gained height quickly.
The first camp - Tela - gave us our first sight of snow-covered mountains. We had our first chai on the mountains and went for a walk. It’s important to gain height and come back and sleep at a lower altitude. We were introduced to various kinds of trees and plants species. The wild orchids were in abundance. It was one of the relaxed nights, after a long trek we had nothing else to do but have dinner and go to bed.
We follow the no-trace policy and are highly environmental conscious.
The Trek to Jungle Camp was as tough as it could get, downhill and uphill with rucksacks, and I could feel the pain all over my body. We reached Jungle Camp just in time, and happy we beat the rain god. We hoped to encounter some wild animals but had to be satisfied with birds. The stay in Jungle Camp was a bit scary, I freaked on the possibility of snakes entering the tent. It was raining and the weather was not favourable. I tried to get as much sleep as I could and waited for morning to break.
The next day’s trek was more relaxed, I guess we got used to the terrain. The day was bright and as we gained height the trees were replaced by shrubs and later a carpet of flowers - marsh marigolds, lilies, potentillas, orchids, rhododendrons and many more. The lichens hanging from the trees, the clear vast blue sky, and the snow covered mountains around…was this heaven. I wish we could preserve this for generations to come.
I was spellbound, captivated by the beauty of the land that I had read of only in books and now it was in front of my eyes and I could see, feel and experience it all.
Gujjar Hut is a tiny settlement of local tribes, mostly shepherds by occupation. We took a long walk to Kheratal (SerpentLake), which has clear water all year round. The locals consider it a holy place.
We are at Base Camp finally - a flat piece of land on top of a hill, drop zone, with water gushing down the valley on one side and peak Mechha Dhar, Jaonli, Draupadi-Ka-Danda and the Dokrani Bamak on the other three sides.
Amidst the enchanting surrounding and colder climate we started from Base Camp towards Dokrani Bamak, trekking across the moraine. On reaching Advance Camp we had the opportunity of gaining some more height and experience some snowfall.
The following day we started early to trek up to Mechha Dhar, even though it was not technical, it was an opportunity to be on top of a 5000-mt peak. Rocky walk, plain land, green grass, carpet of flowers and snow, that’s how the landscape changed as we climbed up. There was enthusiasm all over, we were in good speed and reached the top of the peak at 11.30 a.m. with cheerful faces and a sense of achievement.
Our hearts filled with joy, we descended safely, and it was time to return, we are all packed and ready. A long trek back skipping one of the interim camping points, we were in Tela for the second time, this time to say good-bye. Tela to Bhukki was a cakewalk; the last leg of the climb from the bridge to the road was indeed the quickest unlike what most of us had feared and we were back in Uttarkashi.
We left Uttarkashi with a heavy heart and promising to go back soon.
(Kavitha Reddy is the author of BASECAMPer. To join them on this trek write to info@basecamponline.net. For details please contact Bianca Dias: 9960054428)
